Special Report: Cuba after Fidel Castro | Tampabay.com • St. Petersburg Times

End of an era

After nearly half a century as Cuba's president, ailing leader Fidel Castro resigned the position early on February 19, 2008, saying that he would not accept a new term.

More details:

Official letter: English | Spanish
Timeline

Latest news

Longest rule in the world
The end of Castro's rule - the longest in the world for a head of government - frees his 76-year-old brother Raul to implement reforms he has hinted at since taking over as acting president when Fidel Castro fell ill in July 2006.
David Adams reports: Cuba Q&A -- Who's in charge?
Times Latin America correspondent on the significance of Castro's resignation.

Reaction

Castro's move talk of the town in Miami
Cuban exiles in Little Havana welcomed the news that Cuban President Fidel Castro had officially resigned power, but most in the heart of the Cuban exile community weren't optimistic the move would bring major changes or democracy to the communist nation.
Crist: Dictatorship contines
Rubio: Castro resignation a 'joke'
Tampa Cubans shrug

Associated Press

Castro steps down
For nearly five decades, Fidel Castro, who took control of Cuba in 1959, resisted repeated U.S. attempts to oust him and survived communism's demise elsewhere. His story, and the island nation's story, are intertwined.

Previous reports

2007: New Castro, same Cuba
With Raul Castro in charge, talk of economic reform sweeps the island as state farming fails.
2006: Everyday Cuba
Rare glimpses of mundane life in Cuba, the routine resourcefulness that gets people through the day.

How others covered Castro

BBC: Castro: Profile of the great survivor
London Times: Western leaders call for democracy
Voice of America: Fidel Castro Retires as Cuban President
Diario Granma: Mensaje del Comandante en Jefe